Commanders found their 'alpha' in Sonny Styles

If you doubted that Sonny Styles is the player the Washington Commanders wanted all along, you can put those concerns to rest.

In his latest column for Sports Illustrated, NFL insider Albert Breer gives some insight into all of the work that Washington general manager Adam Peters put into Styles. And that work didn't begin during the 2025 college football season. It began back when Styles was a lanky 17-year-old true freshman safety at Ohio State.

When Styles was a freshman in 2022, Peters was the assistant general manager of the San Francisco 49ers , when an area scout told him, "That's Sonny Styles." Styles would become a starter the next season, and that's when Peters began to follow his career.

In 2024, Styles moved to linebacker. In two years as a starting linebacker for the Buckeyes, Styles recorded 182 tackles, including 7 for loss, seven sacks, one interception and eight passes defensed. He earned All-Big Ten honors and was named first-team All-American in 2025. Styles was also a big part of Ohio State's 2024 national championship squad.

During Styles' final season at Ohio State, former Lions head coach and Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia served as his defensive coordinator. Considering Peters' history with Patricia, they go back a long time, when they were both in New England , which gave him some unique insight.

Peters and Ohio State DC Matt Patricia were coworkers two decades ago in New England and they talked a lot over the past few months, and Patricia told the GM what an incredible communicator, teammate and person Styles was. Patricia’s pro-style scheme also gave Quinn and new DC Daronte Jones (who worked under ex-Patricia colleague Brian Flores in Minnesota ) a real look on tape at how Styles would fit into an NFL defense.

Any concerns that Washington may have had about Styles transitioning to the NFL were alleviated by Patricia. Styles' lone season playing for Patricia was an audition of sorts for the NFL. As Breer pointed out, Washington's new defensive coordinator, Daronte Jones, plans on employing a scheme similar to what Brian Flores runs in Minnesota. Flores has close ties with Patricia.

There were no on-field concerns with Styles. Not only was his tape phenomenal, but his NFL combine workout was legendary. Next, it was learning more about Styles as a person. On a defense full of studs, where was Styles in the pecking order? According to 10 of Styles' college teammates Washington interviewed at the combine, he was "the guy."

At the combine, the Commanders interviewed all 11 Ohio State invitees, and the other 10 all brought up Styles as one of the guys they’d want to bring to the NFL with them. How strong fellow first-rounders Tate, Reese and Downs were on Styles really said to the Commanders that he was very much the guy on the 2025 team.

Breer then indicated that when the Commanders brought Styles in for the top-30 visit, with several other players in attendance, he stood out. Why? He mingled with coaches, scouts and support staff, especially linebackers coach Ken Norton Jr. Styles was engaged, asking questions in what Breer termed as an effort to "get better."

You can see why the Commanders considered Styles almost a perfect prospect. One more detail, though. He used one word to describe Styles.

Their meetings with Styles through the process only confirmed that he was the alpha—showing elite football intelligence, knowledge of the scheme inside and out, and an ability to explain not just his role in the way things played out on tape, but his teammates’ responsibilities too.

Alpha. That's what you want your leaders to be. Even at 21, Styles is a natural leader. He doesn't need to come in and force it; he'll earn his teammates' trust and respect almost immediately, just like he did at Ohio State.

Regardless of what you heard, Washington got its guy in Styles.

This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Washington Commanders: Sonny Styles was the perfect prospect